Dealing with injuries and illness in schools

Having procedures in place at schools is essential to ensure children are treated quickly and appropriately when illness, accidents and injuries happen. It is vital to have fully trained staff on hand to deal with problems when they occur, as well as having suitable medical provisions to treat them.

Children enjoying playtime games and sports activities, mean accidents are inevitable within school hours. This is why it’s key to have a suitably stocked provision of medical equipment for each site. As a minimum, the Department of Education and Employment states that schools and colleges should have an appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements and information for employees regarding the first aid, in addition to the medical provisions needed. For nursery and primary aged children, the Steroplast Childcare First Aid Kit contains all the essential equipment to treat injuries.

In some instances, emergency treatment at hospital may be needed to treat injuries after initial first aid at school. However many minor injuries and illnesses can be treated at school by the designated first aider or nurse, with suitable medical provisions on site.

Here is our list of top first aid supplies for treating injuries and illness in schools:

Sports activities

Encouraging children to keep active is an important part of school life; to stay fit, teach valuable team work skills and burn off some of their endless energy. Sprains and strains, foot, ankle, wrist, and arm injuries are common when taking part in sports and most benefit from being treated quickly with ice packs. The Koolpack Instant Ice Pack provides a quick solution to relieve swelling and bruising. The longer pack design is ideal for wrapping around the injured area and can easily be held in place with a conforming bandage and some micropore tape.

For injuries where spinal immobilisation or transportation is required, the Ped-Lite Paediatric Spine Board Kit is a complete solution offering a seamless design to minimise cross-contamination and is translucent during X-ray. For older or larger children you can use the foam filled Pro Lite XT Spineboard, which can also be used for rescue from swimming pools and other bodies of water.

Arm injuries can easily be supported with a triangular bandage to create a sling, before further assessment at hospital. Triangular bandages are very versatile as they are excellent for immobilising limbs. Including a supply of disposable triangular bandages in first aid locations across your nursery, school, college or university ensures injuries can be treated quickly.

Science lab essentials

Science experiments create a fun and engaging way to educate students about how chemicals react to each other. However, this carries risks to the students and staff partaking in the activity. A busy classroom of excited mini professors can mean accidents happen and it’s vital to have burn care supplies and eye wash, such as the Steroplast Premier Eyecare Kit, available. The new Redcap Chemical Splash Station is designed specifically for the treatment of eye injuries caused by acid and alkalis and comes in a handy wall-mountable station with eye dressings and a mirror for self-administration. We also stock a range of burns care products in different sizes including Blott Sachets,Burns Dressings,Burn-Jel and Burns Kits from leading brands Water-Jel and Burnshield to help treat burns quickly and minimise long term tissue damage.

Sickness in schools

Children have fewer antibodies in their systems and as they play in close proximity and share equipment, germs can quickly spread across classrooms. Teaching children to wash their hands correctly can help minimise the spread of germs between pupils. To help prevent the spread of germs it can be helpful to have a good supply of hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes and disinfectant sprays. When bugs do strike, having sickness bags immediately available in classrooms and medical rooms can help minimise cross-contamination and can avoid an unpleasant and time consuming clear up afterwards. The DS Medical Emesis Bag is easy for children and adults to use and has a large 1500ml capacity. Made from recycled plastic, the Emesis Bag is also an environmentally friendly option. If you need something for younger children or a sickness bag for those school trips then the Chuckie’s Travel Sickness Bag, sold in a handy pack of three, is ideal.

Is your nursery, school or college suitably stocked with medical supplies? For more information on our range of first aid supplies suitable for educational, get in touch with our team of experts by calling 01329 311451 or email us at info@dsmedical.co.uk.